Biggs loses 'last-ditch' appeal bid

An attempt by ailing train robber Ronnie Biggs to launch a last-ditch appeal against his 30-year jail sentence so he was not "condemned to die in prison" was rejected by the High Court today.

Biggs, 73, has been held in the hospital wing of Belmarsh prison, south-east London, since he returned voluntarily to the UK in May 2001 - 36 years after escaping from jail and fleeing abroad.

He had served less than two years of the sentence imposed for his part in a STG2.6 million ($A6.35 million) mail train heist in 1963.

Biggs, hardly able to speak and partially paralysed as a result of a series of strokes, still has 28 years of his sentence to run.

In July last year, he married Raimunda Rothen, the former samba dancer he met 31 years ago while on the run in Brazil. Their son Michael attended the ceremony at the prison.

Biggs had pinned his hopes of being freed from prison on his plea to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to refer his sentence back to the Court of Appeal.

The Commission refused and Biggs sought to challenge its decision in the High Court.

The case was listed for "disposal" today. No-one appeared to represent Biggs and his case was dismissed by Mr Justice Jackson and Mr Justice Silber as "hopeless" and "completely misconceived".

One of Biggs' complaints related to the disparity between his 30-year sentence and jail terms of between six years and 25 years imposed on his 11 co-defendants. Bruce Reynolds, who received the 25-year sentence, in fact served only seven years.